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School district asks for opinions on budget cuts

School District 51 is asking community members for advice on making $8 million to $12 million budget cuts next school year.

Grand Valley residents can take a 14-question survey on the school district’s site, http://www.d51schools.org, or pick up a copy of the survey at any local school. Surveys must be filled out by Feb. 3. Every school in the district and the district administration building have drop boxes for collecting the surveys.

The district is expecting a 5 to 8 percent cut in its budget for the 2010–11 school year due to state financial constrictions.

The survey asks if a person agrees or disagrees with the idea of:

Increasing class sizes by up to three students and reducing teacher spots by attrition.

Reducing the school year by up to five days.

Eliminating busing for high school and/or middle school students.

Going to a four-day week with longer school days.

Reducing travel to the Front Range for sports and activities.

Ending school up to 15 minutes earlier each day.

Charging $10 a month for students to ride the bus.

Reducing the length of sport and activity seasons and/or reducing the number of competitions.

Reducing the hours instructional assistants work in schools by up to 15 percent through attrition.

Increasing activity and sports fees.

Increasing the minimum distance a student has to live from school in order to ride the bus.

Reducing spending on texts books, school cleaning and maintenance, groundskeeping, technology and/or delivery of supplies and materials to schools.

The district already has started on some budget-reduction measures. None of the above ideas has been approved for cost cutting.